Puff-iron



Feb. 13, 1934. CHAPATTE' 1,946,929

PUFF IRGNy Filed Aug. 5, 1932 FIG. 2. Il

l 4o 45 47a 27 FIG. 3. 4 47 @6 45 INVENTOR.

Ida lhapae Patented Feb. 13, 1934 NTED STATES PATENT oFFicE This invention relates to electrically heated instruments and more particularly to a box iron of the electrically heated puff-iron type. The principal object of the invention is to provide a practical puff-iron which will heat quickly and retain its heat for a long time.

Another object is to provide such a device which will heat evenly over its ironing surface.

Another object is to provide a novel puff- 10 iron, noA part of which iron which may be subjected to expansion and contraction due to heating and cooling will be baked or molded into a casing or the like, which might interfere with such expansion and contraction and thereby damage the iron.

Still another object is to provide a device of this kind which may be easily disassembled for repair'and contains no complicated parts, nor a number of screw threaded portions which are apt to be subjected to intense heat.

Another object is to provide a. puff-iron mounted upon a novel standard which is quickly collapsible so that the collapsed device will occupy but a small space and may be carried in a traveling bag or placed upon a shelf. or the like.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and in which drawing:-

Figure 1 is a side elevationvof the novel ypuffiron assembly, parts being broken away to better illustrate portions of a standard employed therewith.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section through the improved puff-iron.

Figure 3 is atransverse section through the same.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view sub- 40 stantially von the line 4-4 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of an electrical and heat insulating sheet employed in the construction.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary plan of a sheet of V45 electrical insulation employed in the construction.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the letter A generally designates 50 the improved puiT-iron assembly comprising the puff-iron B and its standard C. The puff-iron assembly is adapted to be placed upon any suitable supporting surface and to be detachably connected to an ordinary electric socket.

The pui-iron B includes an elongated metallic casing or shell 10 having an outwardly convex or domed upper portion 11 providing a convex ironingsurface 12, one end 13 of the casing 10 having a greater pitch than the opposite end 14 but the two sides 15 and 16 being substantially 50 the same in contour. Preferably at the end 14 and at the sides 15 and 16 are interior bosses 17, 18 and 19 having suitable screw threaded sockets 20 and these bosses are set spaced apart from the rim 21 of the casing 10. Except for 65 these bosses, the casing wall is of substantially the same thickness throughout. Closing the domed chamber 22, provided bythe casing 10 is preferably a metallic base plate 25 which abuts the bosses 17, 18 and 19 and ts within the cas- 79 ing flush with the rim 21. This base plate 25 has a depending interiorly screw threaded collar 26 providing a passageway 27 to thechamber 22, Suitable perforations 28 are provided aligning with the sockets' 20 so that screws 29 may be 7 5` inserted, as'fmeans to hold the base plate 25 in place.

Upon the interior surface 26 of the wall of the casing 10 is a thin sheet of electrical insulating material 30, such as mica, and the floor of` the chamber 22 is provided` with preferably two sheets 31 and 32 of electrical insulating material which may also be heat resisting material such'as sheet asbestos. These sheets 31 and 32 are preferably provided with aligning recesses or 85 slots 33 to t about the bosses 17, 18 and 19.' The sheet 31 is also provided with suitable apertures 34 and 35 and the sheet 32 with suitable apertures 36 and 37 for a purposelater explained. These sheets rest upon the interior surface of the base plate 25, which provides the floor of the puff-iron. y

Housed within the chamber 22 is a unit including a plurality of elongated spaced apart upright supports 40 of electrical insulating and preferably also heat resisting material such as sheet asbestos, elements of electrical insulating material between the supports 40, such as sheets of mica, and electrical insulating means holding the supports 40 spaced apart one from the other and the sheets 45 spaced apart from thev supports.

These supports 40 are preferably ve in number and parallel each other, but it can be readily seen from Figure 3 that owing to the contour of the interior surface of the casing 10, the sheets are of diiierent sizes, altho all preferably of the same thickness. However, each sheet follows the contour of the interior surface of the casing 10 and is provided at its upper and lower edges sol with a plurality of spaced apart laterally extending slots 41 which form air passageways through the supports at the top and bottom. There are preferably sixteen of such slots 41 at top and bottom' of each support 40. Each support adjacent each of its ends is also provided with a perforation 42, the perforations in the ends of each support aligning. It is preferred to space these supports 40 about one-eighth of an inch apart.

Midway between each pair of supports 40 is placed an elongated thin sheet 45 of electrical insulating material such as mica, these sheets following the contour of the interior surface ofV the domed casing 10. The sheets 45 are provided with suitable apertures 46 near their ends for a purpose later set out, as well as also being provided with perforations 47 at each end, aligning with the perforations 42 of the support 40. It is preferred that these sheets extend from the floor of the casing to its domed upper portion 11 and thus is provided a plurality of air passageways 47a, two between each confronting support 40, as can be readily seen from Figure 3.

- The means for holding the supports 40 spaced apart one from the other and the sheets 45 from the support, preferably comprises parallel strips 50 of electrical insulating material such as mica which extend along the supports 40 and sheets 45 preferably just above the bottom rows of slots 41 in theY supports. These strips 50 are provided with perforations 52 aligning with the perforations 42 and 47.

Through the perforations 42, 47 and 52 at each end of the unit are passed preferably fairly heavy wires 55 having their ends turned over washers 56 or the like, so as to bind the portions 40, 45 and 50 together. Since the supports are of the shape set out, the unit will not move laterally nor longitudinally within the casing and requires no screws, bolts, or the like to hold it in place. There is also a space to either side of the unit, as clearly shown in Figure 3.

Over the exterior surface and through the slots 41 of the supports 40-is suitably wound a resistance element 60 preferably comprising a length of ribbon michrome wire. This flat wire takes up but little room in the passageways represented by the slots 41 and the passageways 47a and there is therefore a good circulation of heated air toward the ironing surface 12 when the device is in operation. It will also be noted that from the portion broken away in Figure 2 that there is a very even distribution of heated surface. The wire passes through the apertures 46 of the sheets 45 when bridging adjacent supports and the ends 61 and 62 of the wire 60 pass through the apertures 34 and 35 of the sheet' 31 on the floor of the casing where the ends are suitably secured, as by soldering as shown at 63, to conductor wires 64 and 65 which in turn pass through the apertures 36 and 37 in the sheet 32 and thence through the passageway 27 in the collar 26 where the conductor wires are suitably insulated one from the other by a covering 66, such as that employed in ordinary conductor wire constructions for portable electrical fixtures. The opposite ends of the conductor wires 64 and 65 may be connected, as is well known in the art, to an electrical connector 67 or the like.

As for the standard C, the same includes two tubular telescoping sections 70 and 7l, each preferably exteriorly screw threaded at one end as shown at Figure l. The screw threaded end 72 of the section 70 screws into the screw threads of the collar 26 while the screw threaded end 73 of the section 7l screws into the interiorly screw threaded end 74 of a base section 75, which supports the sections 70 and 71. This base section may be provided with opposite apertures 76 and 77 for the accommodation of the conducting wires, and with a suitable protective material 78 such as felt, on its bottom surface. So that the two sections 70 and 71 may be properly manipulated, the section 71 is provided with an elongated bayonet slot 79 or the like and the section 70 with a radially extending pin 80 accommodated in the slot. Thus it can be seen that the section 70 carrying the pui -iron B may be telescoped into the section 71 so as to reduce the height of the device A.

In assembling the puit-iron, after the insulating material 30 is in place on the interior wall of the casing 10, the unit, comprising the alterhating supports 40 and sheets of insulating material 45 spaced apart by the mica strips 50 and bound together with the wires 55, is inserted and the ends 6l and 62 of the wires 6)V are drawn through the apertures 34 and 35 and are suitably secured to the conductor wires 64 and 65 which have been drawn through the apertures 36 and 37 in the lower sheet 32. The sheets 31 and 32 are put in place and the base plate 25 then screwed fast to the other portion of the casing. Of course the conductors have previously been nserted intoy the tubular sections 70 and 71 and the puff-iron B may then be screwed to the standard C.

From the foregoing it can be seen that there is a very effective circulation of heated air along the passageways 47 and into the spaces at either side of the unit mentioned so that the ironing surface will be quickly and evenly heated and the relatively large amount of resistance wire possible to be employed in this construction permits of quick heating of the device to an ironing temperature. It will also be noted that there will be no undue strain placed upon the resistance wire nor the conductor wires, even when the device may be inverted or placed on its side, since the unit is rinly wedged in place within the casing.

Various changes may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a puff-iron, a casing providing a chamber, a pair of spaced apart upright supports within said chamber of electrical insulating material, said supports provided with transverse air passageways at their upper and lower edges, a sheet of insulating material between the confronting faces of said supports and spaced apart from each providing a pair of air passageways between the confronting faces of said supports, electrical insulating means holding said sheets and supports spaced apart, said means located above the passageways at the lower edges of said supports, and an electrical resistance element carried on the exterior of said supports and passing through said passageways.

2. In a puff-iron, an elongated casing having a domed portion and a base, providing a domed chamber, electrical insulating material upon the wall of said chamber, a plurality of spaced, upright, elongated supports of electrical insulating material within said chamber upon said base and extending to said electrical insulating material upon said domed portion, said supports spaced apart from the side Walls of said casing, an electrical resistance element carried upon the exterior of said supports, a sheet of electrical insulating material between each two adjacent supports, electrical insulating means spacing apart said sheets and supports one from the other, and means securing said supports, sheets and last mentioned means together in a unit against movement one from the other, whereby said unit will be wedged into said chamber against lateral movement with respect to said chamber.

3. In a puff-iron, an elongated casing having a domed portion and a base, providing a domed chamber, electrical insulating material upon the wall of said chamber, a Vplurality of spaced apart, upright, elongated supports of electrical insulating material within said chamber upon said base and extending to said electrical insulating material upon said domed portion, said supports extending the length of said chamber to the end walls thereof and Vspaced apart from the side walls thereof, an electrical resistance element carried upon the exterior of said supports, a sheet of electrical insulating material between each two adjacent supports, electrical insulating means spacing apart said sheets and supports one from the other, and means securing said supports, sheets and A last mentioned means together in a unit against movement one from the other, whereby said unit will be wedged into said chamber against lateral and longitudinal movement with respect to said chamber.

4. In a puff-iron, a, casing providing a chamber, supports of electrical insulating material within the chamber, a pair of elements of electrical insulating material upon the base of said casing supporting said supports and each provided with a pair of perforations, conductor wires extending through one of said pairs of perforations and between said sheets, an electrical resistance wire mounted on said supports and with its ends extending through said other pair of perforations, and means uniting the ends of said wires between said sheets.

5. In a puff-iron, a casing providing a chamber, a support of electrical insulating material Within said chamber, a pair of sheets of asbestos upon the base of said casing supporting said.

support and each provided with a pair of perforations, conductor wires extending through one of said pairs of perforations and between said asbestos sheets, an electrical resistance wire mounted on said support and with its ends extending through said other pair of perforations, and means uniting the ends of said wires between said asbestos sheets.

4IDA CHAPATTE. 

